Friday, January 20, 2012

Confession by John Grisham

My sister-in-law recommended this one, so I picked it up over the summer. I got to it last week and, well, I skimmed. A lot.

I enjoy Grisham's novels, but I have to say that I don't read them unless someone else suggests it. The Confession did not turn my crank, and I found myself skipping through whole pages.

It's about a guy named Donte Drumm, who apparently murdered a high school cheerleader classmate of his. The problem is, Donte confesses (that's THE CONFESSION, you see) to a crime he did not commit. Enter the Reverend Keith Schroeder, who hears a would-be parrishioner admit to the murder some nine years after it occurred (that's a second CONFESSION - see? two confessions for the price of one book). This confessor happens to be a parolee with a line of charges and convictions as long as a football field. Not the most reliable source, shall we say. But Keith believes him, so he sets off for Texas, where Donte is due to be put to death in three days. Does he get there in time? Is Donte saved? Well, you have to read the book.

This is typical Grisham fare. Lots of characters, interwoven together. Lots of legalese that is simply discussed in a way that even I could understand it. A twist or two that you should not see coming. Only I did see one of them, and I was not amused.

This is not a bad book, but it isn't particularly good, either. I finished it, but I admit that I skimmed more than a chapter or two along the way.